EXPANDED RECYCLING: MORE ITEMS BEING TAKENEXPANDED RECYCLING

Junk mail? Yes!

Steel cans? Yes!

Egg cartons? No!

The list of items that the city of Cape Girardeau will accept for recycling has just gotten longer and, some say, confusing.

"We've added junk mail and residential mixed paper to the list -- minus staples," said Pam Sander, solid-waste coordinator for the city.

Also on the list are corrugated boxes and grayboard-chipboard, which includes cereal boxes, old cardboard soda cases and shoe boxes.

Because of processing requirements, all recyclable materials must undergo certain preparation, separation and packaging, said Sander, who estimates that the city will collect more than 26 tons a month of the new materials.

There are some items that still have to be discarded in trash: disposable diapers, egg cartons, plastic bags, Styrofoam and a few other items.

For the avid recycler, however, there is an outlet for plastic bags and egg cartons. Schnucks stores at 19 S. Kingshighway and 121 S. Sprigg have containers for both.

Cape Girardeau Department of Public Works started collecting the new recyclables May 1. The city has been collecting curbside recyclables since Oct. 1, 1991.

When the recycling program was initiated, the city collected five items: newspapers, corrugated cardboard boxes flattened into bundles, rinsed glass, plastic containers with the recycling logo on the bottom, and aluminum cans.

That total has increased.

"People can help by following preparation procedures," said Sander, who offered some suggestions.

Don't mix junk mail and mixed paper with other paper -- magazines, catalogs and grayboard-chipboard.

"We prefer that all items be placed in brown paper bags," said Sander. "These bags are also recyclable."

In case of wet weather, collectors will take items placed in plastic bags that are not on the recycling list.

The new, paper category includes window envelops, stationary, copy paper (all colors), typing paper and computer paper.

Corrugated cardboard and grayboard-chipboard should also be packaged separately.

"Cereal boxes are OK in this category," said Sander. "But we don't want pizza boxes because of the possible contamination from food particles."

All boxes should be flattened and packed into a larger box or recycling container or bundled with string, said Sander.

Any box with a wax coating such as some frozen-vegetable boxes must go into regular trash.

Newspapers, magazines and catalogs may be packaged together, preferably in brown paper sacks. But in case of wet weather the use of plastic bags is permissible.

All colors of glass can be recycled, but not all glass can be recycled.

Glass bottles with lids and caps removed should be rinsed clean and placed in an appropriate container or weatherproof bag.

"But we don't want household china or household glassware," Sander said.

Plastic containers, with lids and caps removed are recyclable.

Aluminum (soda and beer cans) can be packaged with tin-steel cans for collection. The tin and, or steel cans should be rinsed to remove excess food. Labels can be left on the cans.

Sander emphasized, however, that egg cartons, Styrofoam, plastic bags and aerosol cans will not be accepted.

In addition to curbside pickups, the public can drop their recyclables in containers at the City Recycling Center, 120 N. Broadview, Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon.

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The new items are not expected to increase revenues for the city, but they will help in the reduction of landfill trash, which must be reduced by 40 percent in 1998.

RECYCLING DOS AND DON'TS

Effective this month, the city of Cape Girardeau added some new items to its list of recyclable materials, along with packaging requirements.

There are still a number of items which will not be picked up by the city.

No-No's

Aerosol cans.

Egg cartons.

Styrofoam.

Pizza boxes.

Broken Glass

Household china

Household glass

Plastic bags.